President Donald Trump is showcasing a copy of the Declaration of Independence in the Oval Office after requesting it from the National Archives, according to a video he shared on Monday ahead of an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
“The Nationals Archives delivered the Declaration of Independence to the White House at the President’s request. It is displayed in the Oval Office where it will be carefully protected and preserved,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to The Hill.
On X, Trump also shared a photo of himself drawing back a curtain in the Oval Office to reveal a framed copy of the Declaration of Independence on the wall.
The White House did not provide additional details about the copy or its museum loan, and the National Archives did not immediately respond to requests for comment, The Hill added.
In unveiling the display to a clearly shocked Ingraham, Trump took a jab at his predecessor. “Think Joe Biden would do this? I don’t think so. Do you think he’d think of it? Do you think he knows what it is?” Trump said.
The signed Declaration of Independence has resided at the National Archives on Constitutional Avenue in Washington, D.C. since 1952, though its original version has faded over time. In contrast, the copy now displayed in the Oval Office appears clear and legible, according to The Associated Press.
After decades of being stored away, President Trump unveils the Declaration of Independence, now proudly displayed in the Oval Office, to @IngrahamAngle!
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) March 19, 2025
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/jXETScpv3V
Earlier this month, The Atlantic reported that Trump had asked advisers about relocating a historic copy of the Declaration into the Oval Office. Typically, artwork and artifacts are loaned to the White House from Smithsonian museums, such as the National Gallery of Art, and these items often change with each new president and first lady.
Meanwhile, Leavitt confirmed this week that Trump was consulted on Monday by Israel before its deadly strikes in Gaza.
“The Trump administration and the White House were consulted by the Israelis on their attacks in Gaza tonight,” Leavitt said in a Fox News interview.
Israel launched a series of the most potent airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave since a ceasefire between the Jewish state and Hamas militants was reached on January 19. The strikes reportedly killed dozens of people, according to Palestinian medics in Gaza.
“As President Trump has made it clear – Hamas, the Houthis, Iran, all those who seek to terrorize not just Israel, but also the United States of America, will see a price to pay. All hell will break loose,” the White House spokesperson told reporters.
Previously, Trump had publicly issued a warning using similar words, stating that Hamas should release all hostages in Gaza or risk a catastrophic outbreak.
Separately, the administration claimed that dozens of Houthi militants were killed in a fresh round of airstrikes Trump ordered against bases in Yemen on Saturday. At least 53 people were killed, according to Houthi sources. Reuters was unable to confirm those death tolls independently.
Kentucky Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell took another verbal potshot at Trump this week as well, suggesting the 47th president’s refusal to blame Russia as the sole aggressor who provoked the war in Ukraine “reflects a gross misunderstanding of the nature of negotiations and leverage.”
In a statement commemorating the third anniversary of the war, McConnell asserted that Vladimir Putin bears sole responsibility for the “human catastrophe” and warned that even if Ukrainian forces surrendered their weapons, “Putin’s aims would not stop with Kyiv.”
“Mistaking this fact is as embarrassing as it is costly,” McConnell said.
